Reds have long offseason to think about sour finish

5:44 AM,
Oct. 3, 2013

Jay Bruce had his third consecutive 30-home run season.

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This year, the ending came suddenly. The season was over in the three hours and 14 minutes it took for the Pittsburgh Pirates to dispatch the Reds 6-2 Tuesday night in the Wild Card.

There is no positive way to spin this year's ending. Last year, the Reds lost their No. 1 starter in the first inning of Game 1 and still nearly beat the eventual World Champion San Francisco Giants. In 2010, the young Reds lost to a veteran Philadelphia team that clearly had them outmanned. The future looked bright.

This year? Six straight losses to close it out. Four straight against the formerly woeful Pirates. The ...